Arts agency terminates dozens of grants after Trump proposes eliminating NEA

National Endowment for the Arts notifies organizations that offers of government grants were terminated

Dozens of US arts organizations have been notified that offers of government grants have been terminated, hours after Donald Trump proposed eliminating federal agencies that support arts, humanities and learning.

The cancellation of grant offers were reported from organizations across the US, including a $25,000 offer to a playhouse in Portland, Oregon, hours before the opening of a new production, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.

Continue reading...

Lewis Capaldi makes surprise return to live performance at charity gig

The Scottish musician breaks health-related hiatus with gig in support of the suicide prevention charity Calm

Lewis Capaldi performed on stage for the first time in two years after making a surprise appearance at a charity gig in Edinburgh to raise funds for suicide prevention.

He appeared on Friday night at the concert – headlined by Tom Walker and Nina Nesbitt– at Edinburgh Assembly Halls, in aid of the charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (Calm).

Continue reading...

UK politics: New Reform mayor suggests 10% cut to council workforce – as it happened

Andrea Jenkyns says she wants a ‘lean, mean local government’ and says she is ‘up for a fight’ with unions

The Conservatives will come back from their poor results in the local elections but it will have to be a “slow and steady” effort, party leader Kemi Badenoch has said, PA reports.

She told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “I am sorry to all of those councillors who’ve lost their seat”.

Continue reading...

France and EU to incentivise US-based scientists to come to Europe

Macron and von der Leyen expected to announce protections for researchers seeking to relocate amid Trump’s crackdown

France and the EU are to step up their efforts to attract US-based scientists hit by Donald Trump’s crackdown on academia, as they prepare announcements on incentives for researchers to settle in Europe.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, alongside the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, will make speeches on Monday morning at Sorbonne University in Paris, flanked by European university leaders and researchers, in which they are expected to announce potential incentives and protections for researchers seeking to relocate to Europe.

Continue reading...

Father of teen fatally shot by Cincinnati police allegedly kills officer with his car

Man who became distraught after viewing footage of the fatal shooting of his son crashed into officer the next day, authorities say

The distraught father of an 18-year-old shot and killed by police in Cincinnati allegedly killed a police officer with his car less than 24 hours after the death of his son.

The double killing has shocked the Ohio city amid ongoing concerns about American law enforcement’s involvement in lethal encounters with citizens.

Continue reading...

Designers Do a Double Take at the Lettering on Pope Francis’ Tombstone – The New York Times

  1. Designers Do a Double Take at the Lettering on Pope Francis’ Tombstone  The New York Times
  2. The Pope's tomb is the most unexpected design crime of 2025  Yahoo
  3. No one could believe it - the unexpected typo on Pope Francis' tomb that has sparked criticism from experts and the faithful alike  Unión Rayo
  4. The kerning on the pope’s tomb is a travesty  Fast Company
  5. "Absolute dilettante at work": Expert calls sloppy inscription on pope's tomb "shameful" | blue News  bluewin E-Mail
Posted in Uncategorized

Moscow has means to bring Ukraine war to ‘logical conclusion,’ Putin says – politico.eu

  1. Moscow has means to bring Ukraine war to ‘logical conclusion,’ Putin says  politico.eu
  2. Putin says he hopes there will be no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine  AP News
  3. Putin says Russia has the strength to finish Ukraine operation  Reuters
  4. Ukrainian ambassador to US on Putin’s nuclear weapons comments: ‘He is a threat’  The Hill
  5. Putin expresses ‘hope’ that nuclear weapons will not be needed in Ukraine  Al Jazeera
Posted in Uncategorized

Biden aides discussed a cognitive test but decided against it, book reveals

Debate around Joe Biden’s mental acuity and his age was a critical issue during the run up to the 2024 election

Joe Biden’s top staff debated the possibility of the embattled Democratic president taking a cognitive test last year as he geared up for re-election but eventually decided against the idea, a new book is set to reveal.

Debate around Biden’s mental acuity and his age was an acute issue during the run up to the 2024 election, which eventually saw Biden step down from his re-election campaign in favor of his vice-president, Kamala Harris.

Continue reading...

Badenoch says more children, not immigration, will help with ageing population

Conservative leader’s remarks to BBC suggest she may develop policies that encourage women to have more children

People should be having more children rather than the UK relying on immigration to deal with an ageing population, Kemi Badenoch has suggested.

The Conservative leader said the UK needed to answer the question of how we “make sure we can deal with [an] ageing society, people not having enough children”.

Continue reading...